50 Billion Planets!

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Castout

Well even if we reach 100% light speed

100% light speed means the object travelling that fast has infinite mass. So much for linear travelling at super-dooper speed.

many galaxies are million of light years away we better hurry because the space is expanding and distancing themselves

Make that "most galaxies" and "billions of light years".

However, the theory of the fluctuating universe gives hope that in a far away future things will move together again - so close that finally all existing matter and energy and gravitation and space-time collapse into one singular point again, causing the show to start from new with Bang.

[Rhodes]

Get one of this:

[Gotland]

Yeah the Big Crunch, probably the most famous endgame scenario of the universe, but every piece of evidence we've gathered since that theory was proposed has pointed towards an ever expanding universe, and, depending on the nature of dark energy, might result in Heat Death or the Big Rip.

Kinda depressing, entropy takes its toll, galaxies move away from each other and become lonely, stars burn out their nuclear hydrogen fuel, hydrogen gas decreases after many star cycles, and also the massive hydrogen clouds that form new stars become to dispersed for star formation to occur after some stellar generations. So what's left is lonely galaxies, with the former galaxy neighbours competely out of sight, only stellar remnants and planets remain, completely dark (no stars) and the galaxies themselves disband.

So this dark phase with stellar remnants and such goes on for a LONG time. Eventually, protons decay into subatomic particles and photons and black holes "evaporate". So that means the end of matter. In the last phase, comes the age of the photon. What will remain is an extrenely low-density soup of photons.
Low-energy photons i might add (= high wavelength, up to the radio range).
And this phase could go on truly forever (you never know though, given an eternity, amazing things could arise if quantum fluctuations happen).

That's the summary of the heat death scenario anyways.
Pretty dim, that means we'll go out with a whimper.

I prefer the big crunch, because that gives the possibility of a cycle/rebrith, and also, it ends in a last big blaze of glory, or out with a bang! instead of a whimper.

[Skybird]

Wikipedia sums up the new theory from 2007 nicely:

This more recent cyclic model of 2007 makes a different technical assumption concerning the equation of state of the dark energy which relates pressure and density through a parameter w.[5][8] It assumes w < −1 (a condition called phantom energy) throughout a cycle, including at present. (By contrast, Steinhardt–Turok assume w is never less than −1.) In the Baum–Frampton model, a septillionth (or less) of a second before the would-be Big Rip, a turnaround occurs and only one causal patch is retained as our universe. The generic patch contains no quark, lepton or force carrier; only dark energy – and its entropy thereby vanishes. The adiabatic process of contraction of this much smaller universe takes place with constant vanishing entropy and with no matter including no black holes which disintegrated before turnaround. The idea that the universe "comes back empty" is a central new idea of this cyclic model, and avoids many difficulties confronting matter in a contracting phase such as excessive structure formation, proliferation and expansion of black holes, as well as going through phase transitions such as those of QCD and electroweak symmetry restoration. Any of these would tend strongly to produce an unwanted premature bounce, simply to avoid violation of the second law of thermodynamics. The surprising w < −1 condition may be logically inevitable in a truly infinitely cyclic cosmology because of the entropy problem. Nevertheless, many technical back up calculations are necessary to confirm consistency of the approach. Although the model borrows ideas from string theory, it is not necessarily committed to strings, or to higher dimensions, yet such speculative devices may provide the most expeditious methods to investigate the internal consistency. The value of w in the Baum–Frampton model can be made arbitrarily close to, but must be less than, −1.

I always found the singular Big Bang theory and the idea of the heat death of the universe - or a final freeze - being unsatisfactory, for these models open more questionsand leave more things unanswered, than they do provide answers for. I am also attracted by the similiarities of ancient Hindu mysticism, and this physic's theory of an oscillating universe. Both seem to talk about the same basic idea: the one being kind of artistic prose, the other being mathematics - an irresistable, poetic combo.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I am also attracted by the similiarities of ancient Hindu mysticism, and this physic's theory of an oscillating universe. Both seem to talk about the same basic idea: the one being kind of artistic prose, the other being mathematics - an irresistable, poetic combo.

I always thought the Hindu theology had a strangeness to it. Like someone tried to explain cosmology and astrophysics to a child, and the child interpreted it as best they could.

[Armistead]

Know little of space. I know many think the world ends or some harsh event. Many use the Mayan calendar. I know in 2012 planets line up in some way, pretty amazing stuff, but they've done that rather recently.
Maybe some strong solar flare activity...

What do you guys think of these events or maybe someone can explain what events in the heavens happen in 2012. Still, fairly smart of the Mayans to figure this stuff out.

[Raptor1]

Originally Posted by Armistead

Know little of space. I know many think the world ends or some harsh event. Many use the Mayan calendar. I know in 2012 planets line up in some way, pretty amazing stuff, but they've done that rather recently.
Maybe some strong solar flare activity...

What do you guys think of these events or maybe someone can explain what events in the heavens happen in 2012. Still, fairly smart of the Mayans to figure this stuff out.

As far as I know the Mayans never figured anything out, even if there was something to figure out. 2012 just happens to be the end of the current cycle of the Long Count calendar usually associated with the Maya.

As for what would happen...probably nothing, unfortunately.

[ReFaN]

Quite epic to think theres that many, and that they all are spinning around earth! Breathtaking.

[Gargamel]

Originally Posted by Armistead

Know little of space. I know many think the world ends or some harsh event. Many use the Mayan calendar. I know in 2012 planets line up in some way, pretty amazing stuff, but they've done that rather recently.
Maybe some strong solar flare activity...

What do you guys think of these events or maybe someone can explain what events in the heavens happen in 2012. Still, fairly smart of the Mayans to figure this stuff out.

Or maybe they just ran out of rock?



Occams razor FTW!

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Armistead

Know little of space. I know many think the world ends or some harsh event. Many use the Mayan calendar. I know in 2012 planets line up in some way, pretty amazing stuff, but they've done that rather recently.
Maybe some strong solar flare activity...

What do you guys think of these events or maybe someone can explain what events in the heavens happen in 2012. Still, fairly smart of the Mayans to figure this stuff out.

There is no planetary alignment in 2012 nor for the next few decades. plus the planets don't really align anyways because they all don't orbit on the same plane.

You will hear some talk of the Sun being in alignment with the super massive black hole in the center of the Milky way. Thats total bull. First the Earth's orbit causes the sun to eclipse Sag. A and second it happens every year!

[Gargamel]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

You will hear some talk of the Sun being in alignment with the super massive black hole in the center of the Milky way. Thats total bull.

Well duh.... Any two points always form a straight line.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Raptor1

As far as I know the Mayans never figured anything out, even if there was something to figure out. 2012 just happens to be the end of the current cycle of the Long Count calendar usually associated with the Maya.

As for what would happen...probably nothing, unfortunately.

I don't even think the Mayans think the world will end or change in 2012. Seems I read something, some heavenly bodies may line up, or some crap as Plat said, but never seen any real evidence, so who knows.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Platapus

It is kinda sad that there will be places in the Universe that humans can never explore.... or it may be a good thing, depending on your perspective.

That's a dichotomy that I always have trouble with. On one hand I want to believe that we will evolve and become better caretakers of the domain we live in. On the other... well... we know the vagaries of our current evolutionary form all too well.

As long as we don't go extinct we still have a fighting chance.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

There is no planetary alignment in 2012 nor for the next few decades. plus the planets don't really align anyways because they all don't orbit on the same plane.

You will hear some talk of the Sun being in alignment with the super massive black hole in the center of the Milky way. Thats total bull. First the Earth's orbit causes the sun to eclipse Sag. A and second it happens every year!

Nice Vid,

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Gargamel

Well duh.... Any two points always form a straight line.

So the Earth is always lined up with itself?

OMG WE'RE ALL DOOMED!!!